Saturday, September 30, 2017

Ever
since I've been reading NY Teacher, that's been the official message. Every
evaluation system has been wonderful, this is the best possible
scenario in the best possible world, and we're doing a great job. A case in point is this article, discussing the lump-sum retro payment members will be receiving in October:

Because you have a union that fights for you, eligible members are
entitled to be compensated for the two 4 percent raises that former
Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave to members of some municipal unions in 2009
and 2010 but refused to give to public school educators and other city
employees at the time.

Of course there
is another side to that. Before we even look at it, let's take a look
at that first phrase. "Because you have a union..." I often argue
that we are the union. A lot of people say to me the union did this or
that. I tell them you are the union, or we are the union. In fact I've
heard Mulgrew say that too. But when there's something worth boasting
about, we have a union. The leaders or officials have done this or that wonderful thing for us.

If
we're going to look at it that way, let's change the angle a bit.
Because you have a union that's willing to wait years for what NYPD and
FDNY got in 2008, you still haven't received 75% of the money that's
owed you. Furthermore, the city has been sitting on it interest free and
will continue to do so for another three years.

There
were other things the union you "have" could've done for you while
Bloomberg was mayor. For one thing, it could've opposed the disaster
that was mayoral control. Under that system, high schools all over the
city were closed. Smaller schools and charters popped up in their
spaces, sometimes staffed will all newbies. There are still schools with
no chapter leaders and effectively no chapters. There are still schools
in which the UFT Contract is a quaint afterthought while principals run
roughshod and do any damn thing they please. (Also, the union you "have" supported mayoral control a second time after it was proven to be an unmitigated disaster.)

I'm glad
there were fewer ineffective ratings. I'm glad there were more highly
effective ratings. Sadly, that doesn't diminish the pressure teachers
feel, the pressure I hear about absolutely every day on my job. No one
understands what the hell MOSL means. While there may be a possibility
of some teachers using portfolios or something, that's a whole lot of
extra work and no one really understands how it will be used or
interpreted. This is a high pressure job and anyone who doesn't
understand that hasn't been in a classroom for a while.

The
UFT line is the alternative is total principal power under S and U.
That may be, but no one under the S and U system ever faced a 3020a
hearing with the burden of proof on them. Having to prove you are not incompetent
is a high standard indeed. And while District Reps and UFT officials
can lecture you on how bad that system is, none of them teach more than
one class. All of them are rated S and U. If that system is so terrible,
why did they insure that they'd be subject to it?

I
have people asking me to be on S and U system. How can I teach one class
and get rated that way? I haven't got an answer. In our building, we
haven't got any .8 comp-time positions. If we did, people would fight
for them for sure. I don't know a single teacher not on UFT payroll who
likes Advance and Danielson. As for MOSL, it's far from perfect. In my own building, non-ESL teachers who teach classes with many ELLs see their scores fall below effective. Who will want to teach ELLs if it causes their scores to drop?

In fact, NYSUT opposes
the APPR system. They wrote that position into official policy via
resolution. UFT leadership voted unanimously for the resolution, yet
tells us that it is wonderful. When I ask whether or not they support
the resolution they unanimously supported, the response is they'll get
back to me.

But the message of UFT leadership never
changes. I know, because more often than not, I'm on the receiving end.
Everything is wonderful and if you don't agree you must be crazy. If I
were leadership, I'd try tweaking that message a little before Janus.

Of course I'm not leadership. I am UFT. I don't expect leadership to realize that either.

UFT Leadership Says Everything Is Wonderful and If You Don't Agree You Are Crazy

Ever
since I've been reading NY Teacher, that's been the official message. Every
evaluation system has been wonderful, this is the best possible
scenario in the best possible world, and we're doing a great job. A case in point is this article, discussing the lump-sum retro payment members will be receiving in October:

Because you have a union that fights for you, eligible members are
entitled to be compensated for the two 4 percent raises that former
Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave to members of some municipal unions in 2009
and 2010 but refused to give to public school educators and other city
employees at the time.

Of course there
is another side to that. Before we even look at it, let's take a look
at that first phrase. "Because you have a union..." I often argue
that we are the union. A lot of people say to me the union did this or
that. I tell them you are the union, or we are the union. In fact I've
heard Mulgrew say that too. But when there's something worth boasting
about, we have a union. The leaders or officials have done this or that wonderful thing for us.

If
we're going to look at it that way, let's change the angle a bit.
Because you have a union that's willing to wait years for what NYPD and
FDNY got in 2008, you still haven't received 75% of the money that's
owed you. Furthermore, the city has been sitting on it interest free and
will continue to do so for another three years.

There
were other things the union you "have" could've done for you while
Bloomberg was mayor. For one thing, it could've opposed the disaster
that was mayoral control. Under that system, high schools all over the
city were closed. Smaller schools and charters popped up in their
spaces, sometimes staffed will all newbies. There are still schools with
no chapter leaders and effectively no chapters. There are still schools
in which the UFT Contract is a quaint afterthought while principals run
roughshod and do any damn thing they please. (Also, the union you "have" supported mayoral control a second time after it was proven to be an unmitigated disaster.)

I'm glad
there were fewer ineffective ratings. I'm glad there were more highly
effective ratings. Sadly, that doesn't diminish the pressure teachers
feel, the pressure I hear about absolutely every day on my job. No one
understands what the hell MOSL means. While there may be a possibility
of some teachers using portfolios or something, that's a whole lot of
extra work and no one really understands how it will be used or
interpreted. This is a high pressure job and anyone who doesn't
understand that hasn't been in a classroom for a while.

The
UFT line is the alternative is total principal power under S and U.
That may be, but no one under the S and U system ever faced a 3020a
hearing with the burden of proof on them. Having to prove you are not incompetent
is a high standard indeed. And while District Reps and UFT officials
can lecture you on how bad that system is, none of them teach more than
one class. All of them are rated S and U. If that system is so terrible,
why did they insure that they'd be subject to it?

I
have people asking me to be on S and U system. How can I teach one class
and get rated that way? I haven't got an answer. In our building, we
haven't got any .8 comp-time positions. If we did, people would fight
for them for sure. I don't know a single teacher not on UFT payroll who
likes Advance and Danielson. As for MOSL, it's far from perfect. In my own building, non-ESL teachers who teach classes with many ELLs see their scores fall below effective. Who will want to teach ELLs if it causes their scores to drop?

In fact, NYSUT opposes
the APPR system. They wrote that position into official policy via
resolution. UFT leadership voted unanimously for the resolution, yet
tells us that it is wonderful. When I ask whether or not they support
the resolution they unanimously supported, the response is they'll get
back to me.

But the message of UFT leadership never
changes. I know, because more often than not, I'm on the receiving end.
Everything is wonderful and if you don't agree you must be crazy. If I
were leadership, I'd try tweaking that message a little before Janus.

Of course I'm not leadership. I am UFT. I don't expect leadership to realize that either.

Top Secret Correspondence

Quoteworthy

At this point, the only reason left to support this President, is that he reflects your hateful heart; he shares your contempt of people of color, your hostility toward outsiders, your toxic misogyny, your ignorant bigotry, your feeling of supremacy.

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Views expressed herein are solely those of the author or authors, and do not reflect views of my employers, the United Federation of Teachers, or any UFT union caucus.

Stories herein containing unnamed or invented characters are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.